Darlington's season has reached crisis point after they threw away a two-goal lead for the second time in four days.

Some fans, frustrated at the team's failure to beat one of the worst away sides in the division, confronted chairman George Reynolds at the end of Saturday's game.

The next three days are vital to Darlington's season. If they lose their cup tie at Peterborough tonight, and then the league game at Cheltenham on Wednesday, then apart from a possible relegation struggle, their season is over. They lie 17th in the table, well adrift of the play off places.

Just like last season, some fans have lost patience and want the millionaire chairman to buy quality players. Sunderland striker Michael Proctor, currently on loan at York City, is one option, but Reynolds is most unlikely to loosen the purse strings.

With all his cash going into a new 25,000-seater stadium, new faces look as if they will only arrive in the summer

Some of the experienced players in Darlington's team aren't pulling their weight, although manager Tommy Taylor thought that other, more skilful, players were ineffective.

He said: "We need three or four goals to win. When we were 2-0 in front, I could see Southend scoring because we weren't stopping their runs.

"I was very unhappy with their equaliser because it was a simple ball over the top, and our two centre- halves were caught for pace.

"Our two wide players were non-existent and we were basically playing with nine men because they weren't moving up and down and getting crosses in.

"I can understand why the supporters had a moan, because that's twice we've let them down this week.

"We needed to win on Saturday, but instead we're in the same position.

"We must make sure that when we do go in front, we stay in front."

Quakers, who included defender Craig Liddle just three months after suffering a broken leg, made most of the running.

Even though there were very few thrills, they deserved to take the lead on the run of play after 37 minutes when Paul Heckingbottom forced in Neil Wainwright's corner.

And they woke up from their recent penalty nightmare after 57 minutes.

Former Southend player Barry Conlon was wrestled to the ground by Shrimpers' defender Phil Whelan inside the area, and Mark Ford -- who didn't take either of the missed penalties on Tuesday night -- grabbed the ball before anyone else and scored from the spot.

But Quakers sat back, and let Southend back into the game.

After 77 minutes, Kevin Maher beat Andy Collett from 25 yards, and in the last minute, Barrington Belgrave broke away and squeezed the ball past Collett for the equaliser.